Apparatus for treating oils



7s @y 5 5 mnu. D N A L n nm M AT ...n d.. 2 9 1A @u l m@ u A APPARATUS FOR TREATING OILS File@ Apri 19 1%23 Patented Aug. i9, i924.

'HAROLD T. MAITLAD, OF SHAB/ON Hft', PENNSYLVANI'ASSIGNOR TO SUN GL.

CGMFANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F NEW FFBSEY.

APPARATUS FR TRELENG Om.'

Application led April 19, 1921. Serial No. 462,650.

To all whom it may cof/wem:

Be it known that I, HAROLD T. MAITLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sharon l-lill, county of Delaware, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Treating Oils, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyin drawings, which form a part of this speci ication.

The. object of my invention is to provide an apparatus for digesting and mechanically masticating mineral oils. l have found `it especially serviceable in the treatment of the sludge formed as a precipitate in the usual acid treatment of lubricating oil stock, whereby the excess mineral acid is removed from the sludge, thereby producing a saponi fiable oil in accordance with the description contained in applications tiled by me, namely, Serial No. 290,228, yfiled. April 15, 1919, and Serial No. 439,948, filed January 26, 1921. The apparatus, however, is not limited to this particular use and may be found available for use in other` processes. In the description of the operation, however, I, shall set forth the manner in which it is operated in treating the sludge above named.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 .is a vertical sectional view of digester.

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged cross-sections at 2 and 3 Figure 1.

The digester comprises a stationary upright cylindrical vessel preferably made in three sections, a, b and c, the two lower secn tions c and b being steam-jacketed along .their upright walls and the lowermost section being steam-jacketed in its bottom. These steam jackets 03 are adapted to withstand a pressure of one hundred pounds to the square inch. lThe inner wall of the dithe gestor should be covered with some acid-V resisting metal orcomposition if it is to be used for'tlie purpose hereinbefore specified. l The upper section c is provided with a discharge nozzle c which, in the normal opcration of the apparatus, is'constantly open, as hereinafter described.

Extending axially of the vessel is a rotatable hollow shaft f turning in a bearinggfg `in the bottom of the digester, in an intermediate bearing jhereinafter described and on a driving shaft 0, which turns in bearings on the top of the digester.

Across the digester extend two interfering bars fr and. s. The lower bar i is preferably carried by the lower section a and the upper bar is preferably carried by the middle section b. These bars are preferably arranged at right angles to each other. They may be shaped as desired. vThey are preferably of cylindrical shape. rlhe rlower bar r carries one of the bearings (j, hereinbefore mentioned) for the upright hollow shaft.

Secured to the hollow shaft f are paddles Aor stirrers p, which, besides performing the functionl of stirring and agitating the inaterial 'undergoing digestion, cooperate with the fixed bars r and s to masticate the mam terial, as hereinafter described. Ihese paddies are hollow and communicate with the interior of the shaft f, and hence receive steam and are thus maintained highly heated. They are of oblong or oval shape with their longer cross dimensions extending obliquely but at a more acute angle to the horizontal than to the vertical. rlhey are thus provided with a sweep or pitch adaptedto produce a lifting effect upon the materia-l undergoing treatment. .T he more nearly adjacent paddles are preferably arranged angularly to each other. Eachpaddle should be provided with a small oriice g located preferably in its outer end, to allow the escape of steam or Water of condensation. l

Another pair of paddles or stirrers t, scoured to the lower end of the shaft, perform functions similar to those performed by the paddles p. This stirrer is of arcuate shape in its lengthwise extension, conforming in this respect to the spherical-like shape of the bottom of the digester. lt is arranged quite close to such bottom and, like the other padi f tling to the bottom of the digester are through the hollow shaft f; the stirrer being provided, for this purpose, with a number of perforationsu arranged along that edge thereof which, in rotation, is the rear' edge. The escape of steam through these orifices also assists in further raising the material raised by the stirrer.

vNormally the main' treating fluid admitted into the digester is hot Water. For this purpose a hollow casting u is secured to the bottom of the digester, and is adapted for connection with an inlet pipe. Openings w in the'lower shaft-bearing g afford communic`ation between the .rstlng v and the interior of the digester.

In the treatment of sludge, the digester is filled with water up to or somewhat below the outlet e, the water having a temperature of about 150-200 degrees F. After the introduction of the sludge, the same /is thoroughly mixed with the water and mechanically masticated. The admission of water is ordinarily contlnuous, although for cer- `tain purposes its introduction may be intermittent. The desired temperature is maintained throughout the operatibn by'means, first, of the constant access .of fresh hot Water; second, the Steam jackets; andi third, such live steam as is blown in through` the oriticed paddles t. The surplus liquid, which comprises the lighter constituents of the mixture, overflows at the outlet e. These lighter constituents consist of mineral acid and certain other compounds.

The driving mechanism should be so governed as to permit of varying the s eed of rotation of the shaft fand the lpadd es earried thereby in accordance 'with the condition, at any given time, of the material being treated. So, also,vthe temperature of the contents may be varied to suit conditions. The sludge is tested for acidity at intervals.

l ,When the content of mineral acid has been reduced to the extent desired, the admissio ,i of water and steam is cut off, the rotation o',

, the shafts and stirrers stopped, and the excess washing liquid is siphoned or drawn ofi".`

It is of importance, at least in the forel going treatment of sludge, that no air be permitted to mix with the sludge before the sulfur diexid has been practically eliminated, as the buoyancy of the air causes the small particles of sludge to rise to the surface and to be carried away with the washing liquid. The residual compounds setsaponiiable oils containing some dissolved or suspended mineral oils.

,The apparatus herein described contains inventive features in common with the specifically different apparatus set forth in. an application filed by me June 21, 1918, Serial No. 241,210, and may be said to be a simplified improvement on said earlier apparatus Having", now fully described my invention, what I claim and. desire tuprotect by Letters Patent is: f

1. A digester and/mechanical masticator particularly adapted for the treatment of sludge formed as a precipitate in the usual acid treatment of mineral oil lubricating stock, comprising Ia steam-jacketed upright vessel,an upright shaft extending axially through the vessel, stirrers secured to and extending laterally of the shaft at different levels, fixed cross-bars extending across the interior of the vessel at different levels, the

stirrers acting to mix and agitate the contents of the vessel and the cross-bars cooperating with the stirrers to masticate the contents, there being an open space in the vessel above thestirrers and cross bars, an

opening in thelower part ofn thevessel for` laterally extending hollow stirrers secured to the shaft at different levels and communieating ith the interior of the shaft and thereby maintained heated, laterally extending" fixed elements at diHerent levels within sol the vessel, the laterally extending stirrers I being substantially wider along one axis than along an axis perpendicular thereto, the stirrers being so positioned that the longer axis extends at an acute angle to ythe horizontal, and means to rotate the shaft fin such direction that the upwardly inclined surfaces of the stirrer face in the direction ,of rotation whereby the stirrersact to mix, /agitate and lift the contents and also lcooperate with the fixed elements to mechanically masticate the contents. f f 3. A digester and mechanical masticator comprising an upright vessel, a vertical shaft extending axially therethrough, laterally extending stirrers secured to the shaft at different levels, laterally extending fixed elements within the vessel at dierent levels, the several stirrers being-1 substantially wider along one axis than along an axis perpendicular thereto, the stirrers being so positioned that the longer axis vextends at an acute angle to the horizontal, and means to rotate the shaft in such direction that the upwardly inclinedsurfaees of the stirrer face in the direetion'fof rotation whereby the stirrers act to mix, agitate and lift the' contents and also cooperate withthe fixed elements to mechanically masticate the contents; there being an inlet for the treating liquid in the lower part of the vessel and an overow outlet Jfor the lighter constituents of the mixture in the upper part ofthe vessel above the stirrers and fixed elements, said constituents heilig otherwise confined from escape below the highest level of the mixing, agitating and masticatingmechanism.

4. A digester and mechanical masticator comprising a vessel, rotatable hollow stirrers adaptedl to impart a rotary mixing movement to the contents of the vessel, elements adjacent to said stirrers and cooperating therewith to effect mastication of the. contents, and means to introduce heated treating fluid to the vessel through said stirrers and also independently thereof concurrently with-the masticating operation, the vessel being provided above the upper level of said mixing and masticating mechanism with an open space and communicating therewith an overflow outlet to carry offv the lighter constituents as the digestion and mastic-ation proceeds and otherwise contining said constituents from 'escape from be- 25 low said level.

o. A digester and mechanical masticator comprising an upright vessel, a vertical holloW shaft for the reception of treating' liquidl extending axially through the vessel and,a laterally extending hollow stirrerl secured to the shaft, there being an opening at the bottom of the vessel for the inliow of treaty ing liquid and an overflow outlet in the upper part of the vessel for carrying of with said fiuid the lighter constituents of, the mixture treated, said stirrer being substantially wider along one axis than along an axis perpendicular thereto, the stirrer being so positioned that the longer axis extends at an acute angle to the horizontal HAROLD T. MAITLAND. 

